Collaborative Systems for Design-Based Learning

This chapter explores use of Design-based learning (DBL) and digital tools to facilitate collaborative learning through design-based projects. Design-based learning (DBL) is an educational approach that incorporates hands-own, authentic, multidisciplinary design tasks to identify problems and design solutions. With DBL, students typically work in teams and are tasked designing solutions to open-ended problems. Teams develop conceptual solutions to problems and then work through the design process to arrive at the creation of an actual artifact. This artifact may be fully functional or simply a model, prototype, or other representation of the complete system. STEM instructors and students should give careful attention to selecting the digital tools for collaboration. Some collaborative tools offer affordances and features that compliment the communication processes in one phase of the design process while another other tool may be better suited for the tasks specific to another phase.